Work Text:
"Duckling"
An adorable oneshot fanfiction written by FicticiousDelicious.
It was hump day - a Wednesday afternoon, rainy, shitty and fairly humid but oddly chilly. The only thing that could possibly make this day any better was, “A walk.”
Grimmjow made a face at the eldest Kurosaki. “You want me to go on a what?”
Ichigo made a face back, “A WALK.” He felt like Grimmjow was just trying to be difficult.
That was exactly what Grimmjow was trying to do. “I’m sorry, but not really, I can’t hear you over the sound of that fight you promised me which NEVER HAPPENED.” Grimmjow leaned into the fairly warm-dressed shinigami and scrunched his face.
Ichigo glanced at the partial hollow mask plastered to Grimmjow’s smug and irritated face then at the arrancar’s blue eyes. “If you don’t I’ll start telling people we kissed and how good you were at it…”
‘Brat!’ Grimmjow’s thoughts jerked; he was being blackmailed into a stupid walk! “You know what?!”
“What?” Ichigo responded calmly with a satisfied look in his eye as Grimmjow balled fists and they got tighter at the arrancar’s sides.
“FINE!” Grimmjow stormed off to get his gigai from the Kurosaki clinic; the family had been nice enough to let him store it here while he fraternized with Ichigo – no one but the two of them knew what that meant in all but it definitely had to do with kissing.
Ichigo waited inside by the front door, twirling his umbrella with dark clothes and a dark sheer coat on while with a slight smile. He would give Grimmjow his fight, eventually, even though Grimmjow didn’t seem to understand that he couldn’t just leave school any time to brawl. The arrancar returned in his gigai with a grouchy scowl and wearing some human clothes on it and a blue clothy jacket with a hood. “Zip up, it’s cold.”
“Shut. UP.” Grimmjow was grousing but he zipped up anyway and then they were out.
Ichigo put up his umbrella to block the drizzle of rain as they walked down Karakura’s sidewalks and past the walls around houses and apartments.
Not partaking in the benefit of the umbrella, though he could have, Grimmjow put up his jacket’s hood and stuffed his hands in the blue jacket’s pockets. He actually hated to be wet.
Ichigo glanced at the arrancar and Grimmjow’s unmasked face. That gigai was immaculate, Grimmjow really looked human. He tried to walk next to Grimmjow to hold the umbrella over the arrancar’s head but Grimmjow actually sped up walking and got away from him. Ichigo sighed. He’d thought he might be able to turn Grimmjow’s attitude around but then again maybe not with such a stubborn case. Eventually they’d made it to a park and Ichigo veered to go through it on a sidewalk but Grimmjow didn’t notice him. “Hey, this way!”
Grimmjow’s shoed feet slapped the damp cement and he glared back at the voice. Ichigo was walking away into that park… Grimmjow jogged over to catch up and walked irritably along, glaring at everyone who passed them. “Why are we walking when it's so fuckin' nasty out?”
Ichigo’s eyes glanced to the side briefly, “Because it’s better to move around than be stuck inside?”
“We could be fighting,” Grimmjow corrected.
“We are…fighting.”
The arrancar stopped talking, his fists tightened in his pockets again. If he played into that Ichigo would be right, but this wasn’t the sort of fight that Grimmjow wanted! That smug-as-hell shinigami knew it! However if he didn’t vent he felt like his anger would make him burst from the inside out. Grimmjow’s eyes glimpsed Ichigo’s face, who was smirking! SMIRKING! “That’s it… Tell whomever you want that I kissed your ass for all I care. I’m fucking out of here.” He had to go find something to punch.
“Wait-” Too late to say anything Ichigo realized.
Grimmjow stormed ahead at a brisk walk, shoes slapping and trying to keep the drizzle of rain out of his face. Screw this he was going to break a few trees or someone’s face. He kept going and- Grimmjow nearly fell over himself trying to dodge something noisy in the middle of the sidewalk and stumbled around it, eyes wide and curious as he’d never seen something like it before…
It peeped and chirped defensively at him from one spot.
For some reason, either the black, brown and yellow fuzz of this creature or the fact that it was all alone and kind of dragging a leg sadly trying to get to the grass or even just the fact that it was so small, Grimmjow fixated on the damp fuzzy creature on the sidewalk and crouched down in the drizzle of rain with widely observant eyes.
It just peeped louder and endlessly as the large humanoid hung over it, probably not fond of the huge and perhaps predatory shadow.
Ichigo caught up to the arrancar without having to rush, Grimmjow hadn’t gotten far. “What did you- Oh don’t-!”
“What?!” Grimmjow gave Ichigo an irritated look then put his eyes back down toward the fuzzy bird. He wasn’t going to hurt it or anything.
The shinigami made an embarrassed sound and stared down for a moment at the creature that Grimmjow had almost stumbled on then crouched too. “Don’t touch. That’s a duck…err duckling. A baby duck. It’s a type of bird.”
The little duckling was sitting but trying to scoot away with its one good leg however the little guy wasn’t getting very far.
“Why not?!” Grimmjow hissed at Ichigo. He wanted to know why he couldn’t touch it.
“Because if his family smells you on him they might not want him back.”
For a second Grimmjow just looked flat-out offended but in passing seconds he started to grasp the sense of that. Grimmjow looked around them at the dampened park; not a single creature other than themselves and the occasional passing human was anywhere in sight. “What family? It’s all alone.”
Ichigo opened his mouth and then shut it, composing another thought before he spoke up again. “They could be nearby and hiding from the rain. Bigger ducks are more brownish and harder to see.”
“Are you dumb? It’s making all of that noise and they’re not coming to get it.”
“Grimmjow this is the cycle of life and nature, you can’t just wedge yourself into it and dictate nature as sad as this is. We would have to wait and see.”
“Fine! Then we’ll wait.” Snatching the umbrella away Grimmjow left it in the middle of the sidewalk at an angle over the upset and endlessly chirping duckling to keep the fuzzy creature dry, then grabbed Ichigo’s arm with a hard hold and towed Ichigo to a nearby bench and sat them down.
“It’s wet!” Ichigo squirmed as the rainwater on the bench saturated the butt of his jeans. This shinigami knew a heck of a lot more about the circle of life in the human world than his pal here, it could be just as brutal to let nature be nature as to let hollows be hollows…but he supposed waiting to see if the duckling’s family would come back for it was a fine idea. Ichigo really hoped that they would come back; he pulled up his sheer hood on the coat and they waited… Ten… Twenty… Thirty minutes… The rain was letting up and the sun was just barely coming out of the clouds but the little duckling was still alone, peeping and chirping its fuzzy little head off and had seemed to have given up trying to reach the grass. Another five minutes passed…
Grimmjow didn’t like the crying noise, whether it was peeping or chirping. Not one bit. It bothered him… He looked around impatiently again as Ichigo leaned on his shoulder while they were waiting. There were no more of these ‘ducks’ anywhere in sight, just a few people walking by and going around the umbrella. They all looked but kept going past the sad sounding creature and finally Grimmjow had had enough. “Fuck this.” He nudged Ichigo away and got up, striding back over to the damp, fuzzy and very upset duckling. Whatever about its legs that made it hard for this creature to move had to hurt. A broken limb or even a damaged one hurt a lot…Grimmjow would know…
With a damp spot from the water on the butt of his jeans Ichigo jumped up but by the time he was about to say anything Grimmjow had already managed to pick up the duckling in the palms of his two large hands. Seeing the arrancar holding the little creature that gently Ichigo shut his mouth to stop protesting. Well…this was happening. He looked around too. There were really no more ducks here. There were no rocks or grass for them to hide in, no more peeping or quacks other than from the little duckling they’d found. “Put one hand over it, gently, to keep it from falling,” Ichigo insisted, coming over to the arrancar and peering at the fuzzy water fowl in Grimmjow’s grip.
Grimmjow listened to that sense and carefully cupped a hand over the duckling with just its tiny head poking out of a gap. It was shivering at first but with cupped hands that soon ceased and the tiny creature seemed more content.
This is a FicticiousDelicious fanfiction, exclusive to my Ao3.org. This fanfiction is not approved for any manner of AI use. If you’re reading this writing from a source other than https://archiveofourown.org/users/FicticiousDelicious/pseuds/FicticiousDelicious then it’s not the original and it’s not me posting it!
The duckling stopped chirping in distress and only occasionally peeped at the fellow holding it between two sure and warm hands and the other person with him. It wasn’t trying to jump or squirm.
Ichigo shrugged and offered a small smile. “Well. We’ll figure something out.” Nothing to be done now except help. Twenty minutes later they both walked out of an exotic pet supply store with a bag of assorted feed, some hay and moisture absorbing chips. They weren’t huge bags but Ichigo was carrying all of it. The assistant in that store had been quite helpful.
Grimmjow had the duckling and was now holding it in a soft towel because it had already pooped on his hand once and as cute at this creature was that part was not ok with him.
Ichigo would look over occasionally to see Grimmjow’s eyes down as they walked back home and the arrancar pet this duckling’s head with one careful finger or his thumb. “Why can’t you be that nice to me?” the shinigami teased.
“Because you’re not a baby. Shut up,” Grimmjow remarked without taking his eyes off of the duckling that peeped happily.
Ichigo’s expression got comically flat. “Hmf!” As they arrived back at his family’s house Ichigo was forced to open doors for Grimmjow who couldn’t be bothered to do so. No one else seemed to be home yet, lord knew the girls would come running when they found out about a duckling in their home. Grimmjow and Ichigo took it upstairs and while Grimmjow minded the duckling Ichigo ensured that the upstairs bathroom’s shower-tub was clean and soap-free then he filled it partway with only inches of room-temperature water. Ichigo looked back at Grimmjow who was watching him half of the time and the duckling the other half. “Ok. Put him in there. I’ll go find a box.”
As the two exchanged places Grimmjow crouched by the tub and gently let the duckling out of the towel and it immediately took to the water, a little awkwardly as it treated one leg tenderly but scooted around in the low level across the smooth tub peeping and rinsing its head and bill in the water. Grimmjow folded his forearms on the side of the tub and watched the duckling and rippling water with a sharp but compassionate stare.
Ichigo was stepping over the supplies he’d bought at the pet store and shuffling out of the bathroom. A box…a box…where was he going to get a good box from? What sort of box even? That store assistant had said something about carboard or plastic right? When Ichigo came back to the bathroom with a plastic sort of container and some smaller ones to go inside of that one he found Grimmjow with one arm dangling over the edge of the tub and swishing a finger around in the few inches of water.
The duckling peeped and followed the arrancar’s finger one way and then another way and then another way! Grimmjow let the duckling catch up to his finger, bump into it and then move it again.
“Happy?” Ichigo mused. That was pretty cute.
“Who said I was happy?” the arrancar grumped, looking over a shoulder at Ichigo as his finger stilled and the duckling poked at it, peeped and splashed more water. It was in Grimmjow’s manner and face whether he wanted it to be or not; he was happy.
As Ichigo left Grimmjow alone to continue playing with the duckling he put the moisture absorbing chips and hay into the largest plastic container and set the other two dishes inside and filled one with fresh water and the next with the assorted feed of seeds and pellets that were meant for water fowls.
Grimmjow had been watching Ichigo’s progress and when it looked like the shinigami was done preparing the container Grimmjow stopped playing and pulled the plastic box toward himself. “Gimmie.”
Ichigo lifted his hands off to let Grimmjow have the box which he’d carefully arranged for their duckling. “Ok! Just don’t spill anything.” He watched as Grimmjow carefully lifted the duckling out of the water and put it into the box. The tiny creature immediately pecked at the feed, water then situated itself in the hay comfortably and closed its eyes and tucked down its head. “I think-”
“Ssh,” Grimmjow shushed.
Ichigo started talking in a whisper over the box. “Did you just-”
“Sssssh!” Grimmjow shushed him again. “Duck’s sleepin’.”
Ichigo rolled his eyes and gestured for Grimmjow to carefully pick up the plastic container, which was so carefully picked up and then they went out of the bathroom and up the hall to Ichigo’s bedroom. The door opened noiselessly, the light came on and Ichigo directed Grimmjow to a place where he should set the box in a safe space right beside his homework desk.
Grimmjow was peering into the box as he set it down. The duckling was still asleep but, “It’s shivering.”
Ichigo made a sound. “Hmm. Hold on…stay there.” He hurried out of the room and came back a few minutes later with a lamp that he’d taken from his dad’s tools. After plugging the lamp into his wall Ichigo reached past Grimmjow and clipped it securely onto the leg of his desk over the plastic box and sleeping duckling.
Grimmjow observed.
In a few minutes the duckling stopped shivering, the heat from that lamp was seemingly enough and its fuzzy body moved slightly with tiny little breaths. A content tiny brown, black and yellow ball of fuzz among the hay in the plastic box.
Ichigo was crouched down beside Grimmjow, smiling. “We’ll get its leg looked at by a vet so that we know if it needs some help healing.”
“Fine…” Grimmjow rumbled, he didn’t want to share the duckling with anyone else but he wanted the tiny creature to make it. In the Hueco Mundo life was so brutal and tiny things like this didn’t live long…but they were also not nearly this cute and fuzzy. Grimmjow thought that this little duckling deserved another chance. He felt a soft smooch against his cheek and tried to ignore it but Ichigo settled against him. “Just until it’s able to move around and bigger, then it goes back to the park.”
“Ok.” Ichigo mused happily watching the sleeping ball of fuzz.
Grimmjow quietly regarded this peaceful moment…and in so many months their duckling grew into a drake and he was walking, running and flying so they released him at the park one sunny day. They hadn’t kept him long enough to take the wild out of him so he would be fine out there. A second chance for a lonely little creature with a broken leg and a little help growing up. When it wasn’t often that life and nature provided mercy maybe sometimes when something could be done why not give someone who was struggling another chance?
QUACK - Das Ende.
Read ALL my fanfictions on ArchiveofOurOwn.org. Art via: DeviantArt.com/FicticiousDelicious or FicticiousDelicious.Tumblr.com